Rotary transforming apparatus.



No. 706,598. Patented Aug. l2, I902.

E. W. RICE, 1n.

ROTARY TRANSFORMING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Dec. 30, 1899.)

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Inventor.

Edwin W. Rice,Jr-.,

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Witnesses.

THE uonm PETERS 0o. rnotouwo. WAEHINGTON. u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

EDWIN WV. RICE, JR., OF SCHENECTADY, NEV YORK, ASSIGNOR TO TIIF. GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, ACORPORATION OF NEIV YORK.

ROTARY TRANSFORMING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 706,598, dated August 12, 1902.

Application filed December 30, 1899. Serial No. 742,033. (No model- To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN W. RICE, Jr., a citizen of the United Statesn'esiding at Schenectady, county of Schenectady, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Transforming Apparatus, (Case No. 958, of which the following is a specification.

In modern practice it has become very common to generate alternating current of high tension, to transmit the same to considerable distances, and to then transform it into direct current for lighting or railway purposes. For the purpose of effecting this transformation resort is commonly had to the rotary converter-a structure describedin the two patents to Bradley, Nos. 390,439 and 409,450.

The rotary converter possesses one inherent defect-namely, that it is essentially a transformer-and its ratio of transformationthat is to say, the ratio between the electromotive forces of the direct and alternating sidesis fixed once for all, and, further, this ratio is necessarily comparatively close to unity, or, speaking generally, the direct-current voltage is substantially equal to the diameter of the circle'inclosing the phasediagram of the alternating voltages. For example, with a three-phase rotary the alternating voltage is about sixty-two per cent. of the direct voltage; but the main idea of alternating-current transmission is to secure the benefit of high voltages on the transmission-lines, and for-these reasons it is customary to include stationary transformers between the alternating lines and the terminals of the rotaries. These stationary transformers necessarily must be equal in capacity to the rotaries, and their cost forms a fairly large proportion of the cost of the installation, while they occupy considerable floorspace and require a number of complicated connections, switches, safety devices, K70.

My present invention aims to obviate the necessity of such stationary transformers and to provide a rotary converter which will transform alternating current to continuous current, or vice versa, and will at the same time transform the voltage, so that I am able to attach one of my improved converters directly to a high-tension transmission-line and the leads 16 16.

to take from its direct-current terminals current suitable for the operation of railways or for feeding to an ordinaryEdison low-tension direct-current system.

In the drawings annexed to this specification, Figure 1 is an end view of a partiallywound armature for my improved rotary. Fig. 2 is a diagram of connections.

Referring particularly to Fig. 2, 1 2 3 are the alternating-current leads coming direct from the generator or transmission-line or from any convenient system of distribution or other source of alternating current, supposed in this particular case to be three-phase. Current passing in these leads flows through the brushes 4 5 6 to the collector-rings 7 S 9, from whence it passes to the continuous winding 10, which may be of the ring or drum orany other preferred form. A second winding 11 is wound in. inductive relation to the winding 10 and is connected in the manner common to direct-current windings to the segments of the commutator 12, on which bear brushes 18 13. The armature revolves between the field-poles, (indicated at 15 15.) In the particular machine illustrated in this diagram the winding 10 is formed of many turns of fine wire, while the winding 11 is formed of comparatively few turns of coarse wire or of bars, so that alternatingcurrent entering at the leads 1 2 3 induces in the Winding 11 low-tension electrornotive forces which are commutated to produce direct current, which is taken out at the brushes 13 and passed to Obviously this operation might be reversed and direct current might enter at the leads 16 16 and pass outas three phase current at the leads 1 2 3, and its tension might be raised or lowered in the process in accordance with the intention of the designer of the machine.

sion winding 10 is composed of heavy fiat Eickemeyer coils, each containing a considerable nnmberof turns of line wire, each coil being thoroughly insulated and taped and treated with suitable insulating material under pressure, if desired. These high-tension coils are massed together in the wide portions of the slots 20, as shown, and are wrapped with an insulating-wrapping 21. A wooden or fiber wedge 22 is then driven in to close the slot, leaving in the upper portion of the slot 20 a small slot substantially equivalent to each of the slots 10. The coils 11 are then wound in the slots 19, wrapped with the insulated wrapping 1'7, and properly connected to the commutator, as is well understood by those skilled in the art. Obviously the ordinary wedges or binding-wires may be used to retain these coils in the slots.

I am thus enabled to produce a machine capable of transforming alternating current to continuous, or vice or versa, and capable at the same time of causing very considerable voltage transformations, and at the same timeI avoid the necessity of the use of special stationary transformers. Relative rotation must exist between the armature and the field-magnets, and in very high tension machines it is sometimes preferable to rotate the field-magnets and the brushes 13, leaving the armature stationary, as is well understood in the art.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a dynamo-electric machine, the combination of an armature-core having two sets of slots, one set consisting of numerous small slots and the other set of a fewer number of larger slots, an armature-winding located in the larger slots and adapted to beconnected by suitable connections with alternating-current mains,another armature-Winding located in the set of small slots, and a commutator connected to the last-mentioned winding.

2. In a rotary transforming device, a plurality of massed coils or windings, connected to the alternating-current terminals, a com mutator, and a plurality of distributed coils or windings connected to the commutator.

3. In a rotary transforming device, a plurality of massed coils or windings of fine wire, connected to the alternating-current terminals, a commutator, and a plurality of distributed coils or windings connected to the commutator and overlying the massed windings.

4. In a rotary transforming device a pluralityof massed coils or windings of line wire, connected to the alternating-current terminals, a commutator, and a plurality of distributed coils or windings connected to the commutator.

5. In a dynamo-electric machine, a distributed winding of formed insulated coils, in slots, connected to the direct-current terminals, and a smaller number of coils of finer wire, formed and separately insulated, connected to the alternating-current terminals.

6. In a dynamo-electric machine, a distributed winding of formed insulated coils, in slots, connected to the direct-current terminals, and a smaller numberol coils of liner wire connected to the alternating-current terminals. v

7. In a dynamo-electric machine, a distributed winding of formed insulated coils, in slots, connected to the direct-current terminals, and a smaller number of coils offiner wire, formed and separatelyinsulated,wound in slots opening into the first-named slots, connected to the alternating-current terminals.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 28th day of December, 1899.

EDI/VIN 7. RICE, Jr...

\Vitnesses:

BENJAMIN l HULL, MABEL E. JAUO'BHON. 

